Don’t Become a Workplace Dinosaur

Are you as skillful with technology and as knowledgeable about business trends as the new kid that just got hired right out of his MBA program? Probably not. Yes my friend, your years or even decades of experience give you an advantage but that advantage can be significantly devalued when employers look at training costs for basic skills.

Employees are now expected to know how to create basic graphics, work with presentation apps, productivity tools, integrated calendar apps and to know how to use these and dozens more of technologies on all devices, especially smart phones. In fact, if your co-workers know that you do not have a smartphone, you have already been tried and sentenced to the reputation of a workplace dinosaur.

I can remember way back in the early 90s working with a older boss who scoffed at my insistence of purchasing PCs for all employees. It was his undoing. His refusal to accept, learn and integrate technology reduced his ability to do his job efficiently, relate to younger staff and ended his career. He was more skillful at the nuances of his politically sensitive position than any replacement could ever be. But he was out.

At midlife, if you are trying to hold on to your job, find a new job or start your own gig, you must be current and adept at today’s technologies. Even more importantly, you must become comfortable with teaching yourself, expanding your own list of abilities without somebody else telling you that you must. Most of us work for smaller companies that do not have training budgets for basics, managers assume that you have these skills and will kick you to the curb if they discover you don’t.

Google your way to training

You can learn this stuff! Just as you can learn how to fix your dishwasher from a YouTube video, you can find free or affordable training on everything online. Be sure that it is current, read the reviews and dig in.

I’ve learned pretty much everything I know about podcasting from online tutorials, same for my website, managing social media and even how to manage my home network and make the most of my iPhone apps. My personal go-to resource is lynda.com which offers the largest library of training across all industies and professions. Hundreds of Experience 50 listeners have gone to lynda.com to keep their skills up to date or to prepare for new careers.

Does this sound a bit like an ad? Well it is!

I am absolutely passionate about their offerings and that is why I work with them. Experience 50 is proud to partner as an affiliate with lynda.com to provide world class training and tutorials to midlifers working in business, education and government. Bam!